Stropping-machine.



Patented Mar. 7, 1911.

W n m n A THE NORRIS PErERs cm, wnsuuucrolv, u. c.

HENRIE CLAUSS, 0F FREMONT, OHIO.

STROPPING-MACHINE.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRIE OLAUSS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fremont, in the county of Sandusky, State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Tmprovements in Stropping-lilachines;and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a stropping machine especially designed forstropping the blades of razors, and consists in the construction andarrangement of partshereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

The object of the invention is to produce a device of the characterdescribed, of simple and inexpensive construction, wherein thearrangement is such as to provide for throwing the razor blade quicklyand firmly from side to side concurrent with the change in the directionof movement of the strop; to afford a large amount of friction betweenthe strop and actuating roller so as to insure precision in operationand positiveness in the movement of the razor blade; to provide forsuspending freely the sides of the strop where the blade comes incontact therewith so as to afford conditions corresponding more nearlywith hand stropping; to provide for presenting the ed e of the blade tothe strop at such an angle as to afford the proper abrasive actionthereon and to maintain the sides of the strop separated such distancewith respect to the axis of oscillation of the blade as to make possiblea proper contact between the blade and strop.

The above object is attained by the device illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of astropping device involving my invention, showing a razor blade therein,the handle of the razor being broken away. Fig. 2 is a perspective Viewof the device with the strop removed. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of thedevice, as shown in Fig. 1, the ends of the strop being broken away.Figs. 4 and 5 are horizontal sections through the device showing theposition of the blade when engaging the opposite sides of the strop.Fig. 6 is a detail in longitudinal section through the blade-holderSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 12, 1909.

Patented Mar. *7, 1911.

Serial No. 512,527.

showing the spring seated between the sides of the jaws of the holderfor maintaining the proper tension upon the blade to hold it in placeduring the operation of stropping.

The frame which is trilateral in shape and formed preferably of sheetmetal, consists of a single piece comprising the parallel end portions 1connected at one end by a crosspiece 2. The free ends of the endportions 1 are connected by the parallel tie-rods 3.

Journaled in the end 1 of the frame and extending therebetween is theactuatingroller t which is of relatively large diameter. Also journaledin and extending between said end portions are the relatively smallspreading rollers 5 which are disposed between the roller 4. and therods 3.

The strop 6 is looped over the roller 1, the end portions thereofpassing over the rollers 5 and between said rollers and the rods 3, theterminals of said strop being provided with the hand loop handles 7 tofacilitate the ma nipulation thereof. The diameter of these loophandles, as will be seen, is less than the width of the strop, wherebythey may be passed between the ends of the frame, to allow of thethreading of the strop through the frame, over the actuating roller, asde scribed, without removing said loops from the strop or taking thedevice apart, enabling the strop to be removed at will. Journaled at itsends between the end portions of the frame is the blade-holder shaft 8which is disposed in front of and an equal distance between thespreading rollers 5, the axis of oscillation of said shaft being insubstantial transverse alinement with the rods Upon the projecting endof the roller t is an arm 9 provided at its free end with a rack segment10 which meshes with the teeth of a mutilated pinion 11 mounted on theprojecting end of the blade-holder shaft 8. The blade-holder comprisesthe opposed spring jaws 12 adapted to embrace the back and sides of arazor blade 18. Said jaws are formed integral with a tubular part- 1stwhich embraces the shaft- 8 and conforms to the flat sides thereof, andare united at their base by the rivets 15 (see Fig. 2) which confinesaid tubular part on said shaft. Lying at the base of the jaws be tweenthe sides thereof is a bent spring 16 (see Fig. 6) having a hookedterminal 17 which is secured in a slot in the blade-holder. The blade isinserted cndwise in the holder so as to lie between the clamping jaws 12and the tension of the spring 16 is exerted on the blade to hold itfirmly between said aws.

Secured centrally to the cross-piece of the frame is a swiveled head 17'in which is journaled a ring 18 to enable the stropping device to beattached to a hook or other object during the operation of stropping,and at the same time afford facility of movement thereof.

lVhen operating this device a razor blade is inserted between the edgesof the holder, as shown, and the ring 18 engaged over a hook or otherfirm object so as to enable the proper tension to be placed upon thestrop. The loop handles 7 are then grasped by the operator and the stropdrawn longitudinally through the stropping device in opposite directionsin reciprocal succession. The passage of the strop over the roller 4trotates said roller and swings the arm 9 mounted on the end thereof tocause the rack carried at the free end of said arm to rotate the pinion11 and impart a slight rotation to the bladeholder, swinging said holderfrom side to side as the direction of movement of the strop issuccessively changed, and carrying the edge of the blade therein intocontact with the surface of the outwardly moving portion of the strop,as will be well understood in the art. Because of the length of the rackarm 9, the rotary movement imparted from the roller 4 to the shaft 8 isaccelerated in the latter by reason of the relative smaller circle inwhich the pinion 11 turns as compared with that of said arm, whereby theblade-holder is quickly actuated at the instant the direction ofmovement of the strop is changed, preventing the cutting of that side ofthe strop with which the blade was last in engagement, and carrying theblade quickly into contact with the other side of said strop.

It will be noted that the position of the blade-holder in the frame issuch that the blade therein is caused to extend beyond the frame and isbrought into contact With the sides of the strop at a point well inadvance of any lateral support for the strop sides, whereby the blade ismade to engage the strop between its points of suspension, therebyproducing results very like those obtained in hand stropping. It willfurther be observed that the position of the spreading rollers 5 is suchthat the sides of the strop are separated thereby such distance as tocause the blade to engage the strop sides at the proper angle to insurethe requisite action thereon as said strop is manipulated. In thisconnection attention is called to the fact that the tie-rods 3 whichserve as guide rods for the strop, prevent the sides of the strop beingunduly separated. Said rods, however, do not interfere with a freelateral movement of the ends of the strop, thereby permitting the angleat which the edge of the blade shall engage the strop, to be changed byallowing the distance between the ends thereof to be varied as it isdrawn through the machine.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A stropping device comprising a frame, an actuating roller journal-edtherein of relatively large diameter, spreading rollers in advance ofsaid actuating roller, a pivotally mounted blade-holder in advance ofand between said spreading rollers, a

strop looped over said actuating roller, the,

sides of said strop passing over said spreading rollers, the position ofsaid blade-holder being such as to cause it to project beyond the frameand carry a blade therein against the unsupported side of the strop, arelatively long arm on the end of the actuating roller having a racksegment at its free end and pinion on the shaft of the bladeholdermeshing therewith for imparting movement from said roller to saidbladeholder.

2. A stropping device comprising a trilateral frame formed of a singlepiece consisting of parallel end portions and a cross piece connectingsaid end portions, an actuating roller journaled at its ends in said endpieces, guide rods connecting the free ends of said end pieces,spreading rollers journaled in the end pieces between the actuatingroller and said guide rods, a blade holder pivotally mounted betweensaid end pieces to extend beyond the front margins thereof, and a stroplooped over the actuating roller and passing between the spreadingrollers and guide rods, the ends of the strop projecting from the frameon each side of the blade-holder.

3. A stropping device comprising a frame, an actuating roller ournaledtherein of relatively large diameter, spreading rollers and guide rodslocated in the frame in radial alinement with the axis of said actuatingroller, a strop looped over the actuating roller and passing between thespreading rollers and said rods, a blade-holder pivoted in the framecentrally between said guide rods and in advance of said spreadingrollers, and means for imparting movement from the actuating roller tosaid blade-holder.

4. A stropping device comprising a frame, an actuating roller ournaledtherein of relatively large diameter, spreading rollers and guide rodslocated in the frame in radial alinement with the axis of said actuatingroller, a strop looped over the actuating roller and passing between thespreading rollers and said rods, a blade-holder pivoted in the framecentrally between said guide rods and in advance of said spreadingrollers, an arm on the shaft of the actuating roller carrying asegmental rack, and a mutilated pinion on the journal of the bladeholdermeshing therewith.

5. A stropping device comprising a frame, an actuating roller journaledtherein, spreading rollers ournaled in the frame forward of saidactuating roller, a strop looped over the actuating roller embracingsaid spreading rollers, a blade-holder pivotally mounted in the frontmargin of the frame forward of and between said spread ing rollers toproject beyond said frame, means connecting the blade-holder with theactuating roller to actuate the blade-holder and carry the blade againstthe unsupported sides of the strop beyond the frame.

(3. A stropping device comprising a trilateral frame formed of a singlepiece consisting of parallel end portions and a crosspiece connectingsaid end portions, a journaled ring swiveled to said eross-piece, anactuating roller journaled at its ends in said end pieces, guide rodsconnecting the free ends of said end pieces, spreading rollers journaledin the end pieces between the actuating roller and said guide rods, ablade-holder pivotally mounted between the end pieces to extend beyondthe margin thereof, means connecting the blade holder and actuatingroller, and a strep looped over the actuating roller and passing betweenthe spreading rollers and guide rods, the ends of said strep projectingfrom the frame on each side of the blade-holder.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

HENRIE CLAUSS.

Witnesses E. A. CANER, B. H. AnLnR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 6.

